Abstract

In addition to his prodigious musical achievements, Orlando di Lasso has earned a significant place in theatre history through his involvement with the commedia dell'arte, as director, composer and writer, but also as a comic actor who mastered several demanding stage roles. This article examines Lasso's contribution to the early history of the commedia dell'arte and suggests ways in which a Flemish musician based in Bavaria might have acquired, as early as the 1560s, acting skills which evidently did not compare unfavourably with those of contemporary Italian professionals. (Language: English)